---
title: npm-explain
section: 1
description: Explain installed packages
github_repo: npm/cli
github_branch: release/v7
github_path: docs/content/commands/npm-explain.md
redirect_from:
  - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/explain
  - /cli-documentation/v7/cli-commands/npm-explain
  - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/explain
  - /cli-documentation/v7/commands/npm-explain
  - /cli-documentation/v7/explain
  - /cli-documentation/v7/npm-explain
  - /cli/v7/cli-commands/explain
  - /cli/v7/cli-commands/npm-explain
  - /cli/v7/commands/explain
  - /cli/v7/explain
  - /cli/v7/npm-explain
---

### Synopsis

```bash
npm explain <folder | specifier>

alias: why
```

### Description

This command will print the chain of dependencies causing a given package to be installed in the current project.

Positional arguments can be either folders within `node_modules`, or `name@version-range` specifiers, which will select the dependency relationships to explain.

For example, running `npm explain glob` within npm's source tree will show:

```bash
glob@7.1.6
node_modules/glob
  glob@"^7.1.4" from the root project

glob@7.1.1 dev
node_modules/tacks/node_modules/glob
  glob@"^7.0.5" from rimraf@2.6.2
  node_modules/tacks/node_modules/rimraf
    rimraf@"^2.6.2" from tacks@1.3.0
    node_modules/tacks
      dev tacks@"^1.3.0" from the root project
```

To explain just the package residing at a specific folder, pass that as the argument to the command. This can be useful when trying to figure out exactly why a given dependency is being duplicated to satisfy conflicting version requirements within the project.

```bash
$ npm explain node_modules/nyc/node_modules/find-up
find-up@3.0.0 dev
node_modules/nyc/node_modules/find-up
  find-up@"^3.0.0" from nyc@14.1.1
  node_modules/nyc
    nyc@"^14.1.1" from tap@14.10.8
    node_modules/tap
      dev tap@"^14.10.8" from the root project
```

### Configuration

#### `json`

- Default: false
- Type: Boolean

Whether or not to output JSON data, rather than the normal output.

- In `npm pkg set` it enables parsing set values with JSON.parse() before saving them to your `package.json`.

Not supported by all npm commands.

#### `workspace`

- Default:
- Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by this configuration option.

Valid values for the `workspace` config are either:

- Workspace names
- Path to a workspace directory
- Path to a parent workspace directory (will result to selecting all of the nested workspaces)

When set for the `npm init` command, this may be set to the folder of a workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

### See Also

- [npm config](/cli/v7/commands/npm-config)
- [npmrc](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/npmrc)
- [npm folders](/cli/v7/configuring-npm/folders)
- [npm ls](/cli/v7/commands/npm-ls)
- [npm install](/cli/v7/commands/npm-install)
- [npm link](/cli/v7/commands/npm-link)
- [npm prune](/cli/v7/commands/npm-prune)
- [npm outdated](/cli/v7/commands/npm-outdated)
- [npm update](/cli/v7/commands/npm-update)
